by Anna Hoghton
‘I took my revenge on the Mask Maker too.’ Zio laughed cruelly, and Aribella’s insides clenched in horror. ‘I will not wait in hiding any longer. Tonight, with the Mask of Venice, I will break the boundary for good and raise my spectre army.’
Zio lifted the mask to his face and tied the black velvet ribbons behind his head. As soon as he raised his face up to the red moon, the mask began to change. Its surface turned golden. The scratches smoothed and a mane formed round its edges. The nose expanded and its mouth stretched. A headdress of tiny jewelled rubies appeared across its forehead. It had become the head of a lion, just like the drawing in The Book of Mysteries.
And there was no longer any mistaking. This was the Mask of Venice.
‘Come, my army of the dead!’ Zio raised his hands and a ghastly hissing filled the air. All around the shadowy edges of the courtyard, white skulls began to appear. Aribella moved closer to Theo and bit her tongue to stop herself screaming.
The spectres gleamed under the red moon. Hundreds of them.
F ear ripped through Aribella’s body. Even if she managed to summon her fire power now, there was no way she’d ever be able to fight this many spectres without a mask. Even the strongest Elder wouldn’t be able to stop them single-handedly.
‘My spectres!’ Zio’s voice was strong now. ‘You’ve waited patiently for me to fulfil my promise. And tonight, I will. Tonight, I tear down the boundary between death and life so that you may exist in the realm of the living for ever with me as your ruler!’
The spectres hissed their applause.
‘And y-your promise to me, Zio?’ Aribella had almost forgotten about Ursula. She had pressed herself against the crumbling walls, and looked terribly afraid.
‘My promise to you?’ said Zio coldly.
‘Y-you p-promised that I would never grow old.’
‘Ah, yes. Well, you shall have your wish. You will never grow a second older than you are at this very moment. Spectres!’
The spectres rushed forwards, surrounding Ursula.
Ursula cried out in fear. ‘No. You can’t! I helped you!’
‘You did,’ Zio replied in that same cold, thin voice. ‘But you are no longer useful to me.’
‘No!’ Ursula screamed in horror as the spectres swooped down upon her.
For a moment, Aribella could see nothing but skulls, and hear nothing but hissing and screaming. She watched, paralysed with fear. When the spectres dispersed a few moments later, there was nothing left of Ursula except a new skull, rising from the place where she had been, indistinguishable from any of the others and certainly not beautiful as Ursula had always wanted to be.
Aribella stood in front of Theo.
‘Sweet,’ Zio scoffed. ‘But he’s already been bitten. He will soon be a spectre too and part of my glorious army. What an honour for a lowly Inbellis fishing boy.’
Aribella looked up in despair. Her breath caught. Already the moon was paler in colour, more orange than blood-red. She struggled to remember how long it had lasted the night she’d seen it with Theo. An hour – two? If Clara’s original plan had been to trap him on the island until the blood moon passed, maybe Aribella could do the same. If she could keep Zio talking then the blood moon would pass before Zio could unleash his army of spectres on the living world, and the Island of the Dead would disappear with him on it. With her and Theo on it too . . . She swallowed. But Clara had made a sacrifice that night long ago, and Aribella must too. It was too late to save Theo and herself, but maybe she could still save Venice.
‘Why did you kill Ursula?’ she stalled desperately. ‘Don’t you care about anyone but yourself?’
‘Caring is weak.’
‘That’s not true,’ Aribella replied fiercely. ‘My friends make me stronger.’
Zio laughed. The sound was horribly high-pitched. ‘You are too soft. Soft and weak.’
Aribella tried to think of another question when, once again, a shadow crossed the edge of her vision. This time she was certain her mind wasn’t playing tricks. It wasn’t a spectre. Who else was here? Aribella looked around the upper levels of the courtyard but couldn’t make out anything between the dark archways of the loggia.
Aribella’s stomach clenched. Was this it? The end? She looked back at Theo. She’d failed him. She’d failed the world. If it wasn’t for her, Zio would never have got the mask back. She should have kept it safe in her room in the Halfway. How could she have been so stupid? For a moment, she felt hopeless but then she pulled herself together. No, none of this was her fault. It was Zio’s. And if this was really the end then she wasn’t going to let it happen without a fight.
She drew herself up to her full height, and looked Zio defiantly in the eye. Summoning her strength, she felt her power stir. Aribella focused on the vibrations, letting them pass through her body. Heat built up inside her. Her fingers tingled and she raised them in front of her.
‘Spectres!’ Zio called.
Aribella tried to quell her fear and concentrated on herself, her power. As the spectres swooped on Aribella, flames shot from each of her ten fingers. Flames stronger and more powerful than any she’d made so far. The spectres fell back, hissing. Aribella would not be able to hold them off for long. The pain was excruciating without a mask.
Through her agony she heard Zio laughing. Was all hope lost? The flames in her hands started to dip . . .
But beyond Zio, on the loggia, something was moving between the columns. And this time, Aribella could see that it wasn’t a shadow. It was something solid, small and furry, with a long tail . . .
‘Luna!’ Aribella breathed in amazement, just as the cat sprang on to the back of Zio’s head and clawed wildly at the mask’s ribbons. Zio roared and whirled to face his unseen attacker. But Luna had already torn right through the ribbons. So as Zio turned, both Luna and the Mask of Venice flew into the air, the cat landing neatly on her paws at the top of staircase and the Mask of Venice bouncing down towards Aribella . . .
Zio howled in fury but Luna leapt past him, bounding after the mask. She grabbed it in her mouth and raced towards Aribella, dodging the spectres and ducking under Aribella’s flames. She dropped the mask, face down, by Aribella’s feet. Aribella could see Zio’s name in the mask’s lining, but there too, still faintly visible, was her own name, and she knew at once what Luna meant her to do.
She let the flames die, then grabbed the mask and shoved it on to her face. She managed to tie the broken ribbons just as the spectres pressed forwards once more.
The mask immediately began to sting but she gritted her teeth. No, she told the mask. You chose me. You belong to me too.
A warm feeling began to stir inside her, replacing her fatigue. Power soared through her body, stronger than ever before. Her hands were shaking and she clenched them into fists, feeling her power build. The mask stopped stinging.
‘You’re wrong,’ Aribella shouted as the spectres swooped towards her. ‘Caring about others doesn’t make you weak, it makes you strong.’
She opened her hands and enormous licks of fire shot out. The spectres wheeled away, screaming.
‘How is it you can use my mask?’ Zio cried. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his temples.
Aribella’s flames flickered as she felt the mask resist and begin to sting once more. Her eyes watered with pain. Zio was calling it, and the mask was wavering. The spectres pressed in again. She summoned her power, concentrating hard.
You belong to me, she told the mask. She would not let the Mask of Venice belong to Zio. She would not let him use it to kill innocent people and rule the world with terror. The mask still wavered. The stinging worsened. Aribella could barely concentrate on anything other than the pain. She felt so alone and small and helpless. Another surge of pain made her cry out and stumble. The mask’s broken ribbons came loose and it slipped from her face.
No . . .
Her flames shrank back into her fingers. The spectres rushed in. This was it. The end . . .
/>
Aribella heard a fierce roar above her. She looked up dazedly and saw that, silhouetted against the blood moon, was an incredible sight: a lioness with beautiful golden wings outstretched.
Nymeria!
And on Nymeria’s back, one looking slightly queasy and the other very determined, were Fin and Seffie.
Aribella wasn’t alone. She had friends who loved her and were prepared to put themselves in harm’s way to save her. And as she held on to this truth, she reached down for the Mask of Venice and put it back on her face, tying the ribbons again defiantly.
She thought with all her might: You are mine.
The crack that resonated inside her skull as the mask broke in half was like the sound of the earth splitting in two. Ringing filled Aribella’s ears as the ribbons came apart again, and the two pieces of the mask fell to the floor with a crash that echoed around the courtyard. The pieces landed in the rubble and dust, lifeless and plain once more.
The spectres instantly disappeared with howls of collective fury.
‘No!’ Zio cried, falling to his knees.
The features of his face began to melt away from the skin, like a waxwork in a flame, and with a final grimace, were replaced by the kindly ones of the old Doge. He slumped to the ground.
Aribella heard cheering above and looked up to see Seffie and Fin beaming down at her.
‘You did it, Ari!’ Seffie whooped. ‘You actually did it! You defeated Zio.’
But they weren’t safe yet. Aribella looked up to the dark sky. The blood moon was no longer red or orange, but turning white. Zio was defeated but they were still going to get trapped on this godforsaken island. Nymeria could not carry them all at once.
Mist had moved in and the beach below had already gone. She heard the sound of crashing water as a wave rushed through the courtyard door. The walls of the palazzo were beginning to crumble. As soon as the bricks and mortar came tumbling down they turned into dust and were whipped away by the wind.
Aribella scrambled for Theo and tried to support him. He was too heavy. ‘Luna,’ she called desperately. The island had fallen away on all sides and water surrounded them. The floor of the courtyard cleaved in two. They were marooned on a few shrinking patches of land.
‘Get to the beach!’ Fin called, gesturing frantically.
And there, slicing through the mist, with a glowing lantern at its prow, was the curved ferro of a gondola. At the stern, his cloak billowing and his star-covered mask flashing, was Rodolfo.
Her heart leapt for joy.
‘Jump in,’ he called, speeding towards her. ‘Quickly!’
Aribella did not need to be told twice. Rodolfo helped her lift Theo into the gondola and then pulled Aribella in too. No sooner were they both aboard than the piece of land they’d been standing on sank below the water with a final whoosh.
‘The Doge!’ Aribella gasped.
But Rodolfo was already rowing towards the patch of ground where the Doge’s body lay. He was so frail and light that they pulled him into the gondola easily. His eyes were closed but, like Theo, he was still breathing. Aribella looked around desperately for Luna. She had saved them, they couldn’t just leave her . . .
Aribella’s heart stopped. At the top of the crumbling staircase stood a woman in a mask, holding Luna. She was shoeless and her dress was dirty and torn. Her long, dark hair fell across her face and she wore a mask covered with flowers, birds and silver fish. When she removed it her eyes were shining with so much pride that it made Aribella’s heart ache. She knew who this was, though she’d not seen her for ten years and barely remembered her from before that.
But she knew.
Mama.
Aribella struggled to breathe. After everything that had happened tonight, this was the biggest shock of all.
Rodolfo smiled as he reached out to grab the woman’s hand and pull her aboard. ‘So the stars were right. Welcome back, Clara, I’ve been waiting for you.’
‘Hello Rodolfo. And hello Aribella, my darling girl,’ replied Clara.
Luna meowed, and she sounded a different cat entirely. Aribella looked from her mama to Luna. ‘It was you all along,’ she whispered.
Suddenly she swayed with exhaustion and found she couldn’t support herself any longer. Clara caught her. Her arms were warm and soft. And though her clothes were dirty, her skin smelt of sweet jasmine, and the scent took Aribella back to memories she’d forgotten – evenings in a garden, with Papa laughing, deep and bellowing, and Mama singing the folk songs of the gondoliers . . .
Rodolfo sang now as his gondola flew across the dark water, leaving the disappearing Island of the Dead far behind. Aribella let the melody wash over her. She saw Nymeria, Fin and Seffie flying ahead, leading the way – Fin holding tightly to Seffie. They left the mist behind and in the clear night sky beyond the moon was silver again, as it should be, and the stars twinkled brightly.
In her ear, Mama whispered, ‘You’ve done so well, my darling. You’ve been so brave. Stronger than I ever could have imagined.’
Aribella felt as if her heart would burst. She was too tired to reply but pressed herself closer to her mama, afraid she would disappear again. She thought back over all the times Luna had been there. Every time she’d hurt herself, or been teased by Gian, or cried because of Papa’s silence . . . Luna had been there, with her warm body and soft fur, to cuddle and comfort her. If only Aribella had known that it had been Mama, trapped in the cat’s body as Zio had been trapped in the Doge’s! If only she’d known that – this whole time – she’d never truly been alone, as she’d thought, but was being watched over by someone who cared for her.
‘Theo’s been bitten . . .’ she murmured.
‘Don’t worry about him,’ Rodolfo called. ‘Io tells me Marquesa’s latest batch of Four Thieves Vinegar is ready. He’ll be fine. And thanks to you, so is Venice.’
‘Sleep now,’ Mama whispered. ‘We’ll soon be home.’
Home.
Aribella closed her eyes but held on tightly. She didn’t think she’d ever let go again.
Aribella woke to the delicious smell of hot cocoa and the feel of silk sheets against her skin. She tried to stretch, but her body protested. Her limbs ached as if she’d recently swum the entire lagoon.
Slowly, Aribella blinked her eyes open. She was back in her bedroom at the Halfway.
Seffie, Fin and Helena were perched on the end of her bed, playing cards, and Rodolfo, Rosa and Marquesa were seated in armchairs by the fireplace, drinking from china teacups. Io was hanging off the arm of Rodolfo’s chair, and, blocking the doorway, was Nymeria, wide awake for a change and making the large bedroom feel suddenly small. Aribella remembered Nymeria flying last night and looked for her wings, but there was nothing to be seen. Had that really happened? Had any of it? Her aching body told her it had. Mama sat in a chair closest to her bed, wrapped in Rodolfo’s star cloak and with Luna asleep on her lap. She looked down into Aribella’s eyes and her smile was so full of happiness that, for a moment, Aribella forgot all her aches and pains.
She couldn’t believe it. Clara was her mama, and she was actually here. At the Halfway. Alive.
She glanced at the empty mask stand beside her bed and was surprised to feel a twinge of loss. It had been an evil mask, Zio’s mask, she reminded herself. But it had also been partly hers, and it had helped her defeat Zio in the end. Now she had no mask at all. Could she still be a Cannovacci? She pushed the thought from her mind; for now she was just happy to see everyone safe and alive.
At the end of her bed, Seffie squealed, ‘Aribella’s awake!’
There was a flurry of limbs, then Aribella’s view was blocked completely by her friends as they tumbled on top of her.
‘Let her breathe,’ Rodolfo called. ‘Imagine, Aribella survives Zio and his spectre army on the Island of the Dead only to be suffocated by you three in her own bed.’ He chuckled.
Seffie, Fin and Helena fell back reluctantly. They sat up on their knees, wearing matching
grins. Aribella tried to smile back but it was painful to move her face.
‘You’ll ache, I’m afraid,’ Marquesa said kindly. ‘That was a lot of power you used without a mask.’
The cuckoo made everyone jump as it shot out of the clock.
‘Almost lunchtime! We’ve been worried about you,’ Seffie said. ‘You were out for hours.’
‘How’s Theo? And the Doge? Are they all right?’ Aribella asked, struggling to sit up.
‘They’re both fine,’ Marquesa assured her, crossing the room to plump Aribella’s pillows. ‘Luckily, I had the batch of Four Thieves Vinegar I’d brewed for the Mask Maker. I wasn’t sure how effective the potion would be on your friend Theo a second time. But it seems to have worked just fine. Not one but two spectre attacks . . .’ She shook her head. ‘I’m not sure anyone in history has ever been so unlucky.’
‘Or lucky, given the boy survived both times,’ Rodolfo interjected, his eyes twinkling. Aribella smiled at him, it was so good to see Rodolfo back at the Halfway, where he belonged.
‘Yes, I suppose that’s one way to look at it,’ said Marquesa, laughing. ‘Anyway, he has been restored to full health and is back on Burano with his family. We even manged to recover his fishing boat, which Nymeria discovered floating away over the horizon. We’ve returned that safely too.’
Aribella was so happy to hear Theo was all right. And even that Gian’s boat had been recovered.
‘Drink some cocoa,’ Marquesa instructed. ‘It will make you feel a good deal better.’ Rosa raised her palm and a china cup full of steaming cocoa appeared in Aribella’s hands. Marquesa wouldn’t let Aribella say another word until she had drunk several large gulps. The cocoa was warm, sweet and restoring. Aribella instantly felt better.